Liv Morgan is in line for a massive push en route to WrestleMania 42. (Credit: WWE/Getty Images)
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WWE Royal Rumble 2026 will mark just the ninth-ever women’s Royal Rumble, and the 30-woman battle Royal is as star-studded as ever.
Among the confirmed names for the match are numerous former women’s world champions, including Alexa Bliss and Asuka, while there are several potential surprise returns waiting in the wings. In last year’s women’s Royal Rumble, Charlotte Flair entered at No. 27 and scored four eliminations to win her second Royal Rumble.
The follow-up to Flair’s victory left a lot to be desired, but this year, a wide-open field has once again made the women’s Royal Rumble a must-see attraction. With plenty of absentee stars potentially coming back and no clear creative direction for either of the main roster’s world champions, there is no runaway frontrunner this year.
As always, however, some reports and creative hints have established the likeliest winners from WWE’s deep and talented roster. Here are the five favorites to win the 2026 women’s WWE Royal Rumble.
Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair’s 2025 Royal Rumble win, with the benefit of hindsight, was clearly a misguided booking move, one that really set “The Queen” back creatively.
Of course, Flair was ultimately able to turn things around thanks in large part to an unlikely and surprisingly successful pairing with Alexa Bliss. As things currently stand, Flair is one of the most popular stars in WWE’s women’s division, which would make a second consecutive (and third overall) Royal Rumble win a little more palatable than it would be otherwise.
Flair is currently in the tag team division, but the main reason she stands out as a possibly Royal Rumble winner is the lack of other obvious challengers for Jade Cargill, the current WWE Women’s Champion on SmackDown. Flair vs. Cargill would certainly fit the bill as a true dream match, and if other creative options are not available, another Royal Rumble win for Flair wouldn’t be surprising.
Becky Lynch
One might assume that Becky Lynch’s recent WWE Intercontinental Championship win will prevent her from pursuing a world title in the near future. That assumption could prove to be incorrect, though.
Raw’s current Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who’s likely going to be holding that title come WrestleMania, needs a capable and proven challenger. Among the available options on Raw, Lynch is one of the best. “The Man” has, after all, been doing tremendous work in elevating new talents like Maxxine Dupri and Lyra Valkyria.
A WrestleMania feud with Lynch could be just what Vaquer needs to get to that next level, and a Royal Rumble win is a potential vehicle to make that happen. Although it’s more likely that Lynch is eliminated from the Royal Rumble by someone like a returning AJ Lee, it would make a ton of sense for Lynch to win it and challenge Vaquer in Las Vegas.
In fact, Lynch was reportedly one of two marquee names being considered to face Vaquer at Wrestlemania 42 at one point.
Bianca Belair
Bianca Belair has been out of action since last year’s WrestleMania 42 event, where she suffered a nasty finger injury that has kept her out of the ring for the better part of a year.
There have been no concrete updates on Belair’s status, but she has unsurprisingly ranked among the Royal Rumble betting favorites over the past several weeks. That’s based largely on the assumption that Belair is cleared or will be in the near future, which does seem likely given her lengthy hiatus thus far.
Belair, one of WWE’s most popular stars, is a logical choice as a WrestleMania challenger for Vaquer but a better one for Cargill, her former tag team partner. Because Cargill is expected to remain champion through WrestleMania, the wise assumption is that Belair will make her triumphant return at WWE Royal Rumble 2026 in order to win the whole thing.
Rhea Ripley
As mentioned previously, WWE had, at least at one point, been considering two major names to face Vaquer at WrestleMania 42. One is Becky Lynch. The other? Rhea Ripley.
Arguably the most beloved star in all of WWE, Ripley is almost always one of the main focal points of Raw and figures to be so once again come WrestleMania 42. Although Ripley and foe-turned-friend Iyo Sky recently won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, that reportedly was not done with the intent of the two stars holding the titles through WrestleMania.
What that suggests is that a breakup between Ripley and Sky could be coming, perhaps within the Royal Rumble match itself or maybe amicably afterward. As much good as the Ripley-Sky duo has done for the women’s tag team division, they are too important to the singles scene to be tag teaming for too long.
Ripley seems to be in line for a significant WrestleMania match, and a second WWE Royal Rumble win gets her there.
Liv Morgan
WWE is reportedly planning a massive push for former multi-time women’s champion Liv Morgan come WrestleMania 42.
That’s a virtual guarantee given that Morgan fits all the descriptions of a strong potential Royal Rumble winner: She’s fresh off a return, she is wildly popular, she’s incredibly talented, and she’s believable as a top star. Although Morgan is technically a heel right now, she’s been getting massive babyface reactions and could be in line for a face turn.
What’s more, Morgan’s Judgment Day stable appears to be on the verge of implosion, too, which could make her even more popular if done right. As Morgan remains one of WWE’s most important stars, she is a great choice to be an even bigger focal point of the women’s division moving forward.
There have been times over the past few years when WWE fans have really wanted to see Morgan win the Royal Rumble, and she’s been the runner-up twice. This year, they may finally get their wish if the two-time second place finisher finally gets her first win.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2026/01/29/wwe-royal-rumble-2026-liv-morgan-and-the-5-most-likely-winners/
